


It's Never Over

by basileum



Category: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Alternate Universe - Six of Crows Fusion, F/M, M/M, Multi, POV Kaz Brekker, Wordcount: 1.000-3.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:28:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28416861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/basileum/pseuds/basileum
Summary: Set nearly ten years after the events of Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom (with some changes) Kaz Brekker is adjusting to life, slowly pulling himself away from crime and working towards more legal and sustainable practices. He is in the works of trade talks with King Nikolai when he runs into an assassin set to foil is work. Without his wraith by his side, Kaz must once again take up arms and fight. It never seems to be over.
Relationships: Jesper Fahey/Wylan Van Eck, Kaz Brekker/Inej Ghafa, Matthias Helvar/Nina Zenik
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	It's Never Over

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I wrote this piece for a young adult literature class where we only read Six of Crows, so some things are not 100% accurate to the events of the novel (I read Crooked Kingdom before but that was also years ago so I just went with whatever I felt) I thought it was just a fun story and decided to post it for others to enjoy now that the semester is over. Hope everyone is doing well and enjoys the story :)

Kaz Brekker pulled his coat closer to his body as the blade-like winter breeze of Ketterdam cut his cheek. Sometimes he despised how cold the city could get. He pulled his tweed hat farther down and stuck one gloved hand into his pocket, the other gripping his cane. He could feel the eyes on him as he walked, though it was something he had grown accustomed to. He sharply moved his body into one of the many alcoves the street side had, his eyes meeting the newly refurbished sign that read ‘The Crow Club.’

He was grateful for the warmth the club brought as he entered, the fireplace Jesper was leaning against in full swing. 

“You’re late,” he said. His sleeves were rolled to his elbows, the amber hue the fire gave complementing his tan skin.

“There is no such thing as being late when you are the boss, Jesper,” Kaz mused as he tugged off his coat and hat, running his gloved hand through his dark hair. After bringing down Pekka Rollins, Kaz had taken back his share of the Crow Club and the majority of the ports in Ketterdam. A near monopoly, sure, but he kept his enemies at bay by working with them while he could. His main concern was the trade plan he had been drafting with Ravka. He usually wasn’t one to thank his friends, but Nina’s connections had secured his spot as a favored trade partner with King Nikolai, and if the week’s dealings went well then he would be the most favored trader in all of Ravka.

“A letter from Inej came in,” Jesper mentioned, jerking his head toward the door to Kaz’s office. “Sitting on your desk.”

His dark eyes seemed to perk at that. Running all of this without his wraith had become terribly draining. He had to admit, though, she stuck around longer than he expected her to. Hell, she even said she would come back. After his rise to the top all those years ago, she stayed by his side in every aspect of the word. He never would openly admit it, but it had become harder to sleep without her at his side each night. “I’ll read it in a moment,” he said in a gruff voice. He was about to get right to business, but Jesper stopped him by asking, “How close is she to finding them? She’s been gone nearly four months,” he said, crossing his arms. 

There was a long pause before he gave his answer. “I don’t know,” he said honestly, his left hand folding over his right which held the crow’s head of his cane. “She’s either hot on their trail, or she hasn’t found much of a lead and is taking her time tormenting slavers,” he said, rolling his shoulders back. She said she was going to find her parents, and with the look she had in her eyes when she left, he fully believed her. Kaz hated the silence that followed and the uncertainty that came with it, so he quickly changed the subject. 

“When is Nina and Matthias’s ship supposed to arrive?” he asked as he folded his gloved hands together behind his back.

“Due in harbor at half past seven. Wylan will be there to greet them and take them back to The Crow Club. Best room is reserved for the king,” he replied, to which Kaz gave him a quick nod. 

“Good.”

“Wanna join in on the bets?”

“What bets?”

There was a glimmer in Jesper’s eye. “The bets of what Nina and Matthias’s kid looks like. My money is that the girl has a head of hair as blonde as her father. Wylan only put a couple of coins down, but he bets it’s more of a dirty blonde.”

Kaz rolled his eyes, leaning on his crow’s head cane. “As much as I like Nina, I could care less. I don’t like kids, and I doubt I will like hers.” He could imagine the look of disapproval his wraith would be giving him at that comment.  _ That’s not a very nice thing to say to a friend,  _ she would muse. Saints, he was missing her. He pulled a single gold kruge out of his pocket and tossed it towards the gunslinger. “The kid will have hair as black as mine,” he said before making his way to his office, swiftly shutting the door behind him. 

It was dark upon his initial entry. The curtains were closed and nothing was lit. He carefully moved his way over to the windows before pulling the curtains away, relieving a beautiful view of Ketterdam’s harbor. No matter how much of it he controlled or owned, it would never truly be his harbor. The city would forever own it. He pulled away retrieving a glass from his whiskey cart. Gingerly taking a bottle, he removed the cap with one hand and proceeded to pour himself a glass. He hadn’t looked toward his desk yet. As desperate as he was for the letter, he was even more desperate for Inej’s presence to be back. The knowledge that she wasn’t lingering about somewhere haunted him. In some odd way, he missed how he always felt watched by her. He took a drink, letting the dark whiskey burn down his throat and settle warmly in his chest. He never drank in excess, but he enjoyed the small sense of comfort it gave him. Resting his cane against his desk, he settled into his high back chair, took off his gloves, and picked up the letter. 

It was shorter than usual.

_ Dear Kaz, _

_ No luck yet. A few leads, but most have led to dead ends. I believe I have spent more of my time hunting and sinking slaver’s ships than I have searching for my parents. If I am not much closer by the end of the month, I believe I will be returning to Ketterdam. I look forward to hearing how the meeting with King Nikolai goes. Tell Nina I am deeply sorry for missing her, but I send her and the babe my warmest regards.  _

_ Saints guide you, _

_ Inej _

It was easy to tell how much she had lost her faith. Part of him wanted to curse himself for not being of better use, though he wasn’t sure exactly what he could do. He set the letter down and finished off his drink. He closed his eyes and wished to get just a bit of rest before half past seven.

___

Kaz jolted awake at the sound of a sharp tapping at his door. His eyes drifted to the window where he could see the street lamps now lit, and an inconspicuous Ravkan ship in the harbor. “Shit,” he breathed. They were already here. How had he possibly let himself sleep that long? He could hear some familiar voices outside of his door, and he knew then that he was late. He pulled himself from his plush chair and made his way to the door. He opened to his nearly complete group, only Inej missing, and two new faces. Jesper was leaning against the doorframe, looking a little annoyed. 

“I thought for sure one of us was right,” he said, shaking his head. His eyes then moved over to Nina and Matthias, the burly Fjerdan somehow looking content holding a little girl with curled tufts of honey brown hair. 

“Maybe Wylan will be nice and buy you something with your betting money,” he joked, making his way over to the pair, his cane clicking against the wood floors. “Never in a million years did I think Nina Zenik would settle down,” he said with a smirk. 

“Bold of you to assume she has settled at all,” mused the woman to his right. His eyes moved to her. Her skin was dark like Inej’s, her hair as black as his coat. It seemed this was the mentor Nina had always spoken about. Zoya. That meant the blonde, smirking man beside her was the most important one in the room. King Nikolai. He had heard the stories. The man had spent most of his youth parading around on ships under a false name to keep himself safe while also fighting for his county. Flamboyant, stupid, but almost admirable. This was going to be a fun conversation. 

“Where is Inej?” Nina asked, “she was so excited to see Daena.” Kaz’s eyes moved then to the little toddler. The girl couldn’t have been more than four. Inej would have loved her, and he wasn’t sure how. Sure, she was cute, but children...he would rather not mess with them. 

“She went on a trip a few months ago. She wanted to find her parents, but I think she has been spending most of her time tracking down slavers. Sneaking around and causing whoever crosses her their own private little hell. What she does best,” Kaz said casually. He then turned back to his office, looking towards Nikolai and Zoya. “Shall we talk business now?”

“Straight to the point. My, you have no decorum,” Zoya muttered, though she started to follow him into his office. Nikolai followed behind with a boyish grin on his face. “I like him.”

The trade talks were exhausting, but this was the most important deal Kaz was going to make in perhaps all of his life. It would change Kerch into a nation of fortune and hopefully give Ravka a bit more strength. It seemed he underestimated Nikolai, though. For all the foolish stories he heard about him, the man was sharp. He really didn’t need Zoya at his side. Both of them were an unstoppable force together, and one that Kaz would have to break if he were to get this deal to go through. They wanted more than he knew the Kerch nobles would be willing to take, and while he had influence, he didn’t run the damn city. They wanted enough power to ensure they could raise their two armies in peace without having to worry about Shu Han coming in and starting another war. It was a messy game they were all playing. 

“I cannot make this a Ravkan only port, the Merchant Council will never agree to it. Hell, they don’t even like what I drafted. The Shu pay well for their premium spots in this port,” Kaz said gruffly. All their heads turned as there was another sharp knock at the door. How many times would someone interrupt him today? He had told Jesper not to let anyone come in unless absolutely necessary. He pulled himself up, opened the door and met Wylan’s wide, green eyes. “Kaz. there is a bit of a problem.”

“A problem?” Kaz asked, narrowing his eyes. “What the hell do you mean there is a problem?”

“It’s...it would be easier to show you.” He saw Kaz’s hesitation and added, “it has to do with the king.” A few curses left the man’s lips before he turned to the two guests. 

“I apologize, but it seems something important has come up. Let me handle this and we can get back to talking,” he said, his cane quickly clicking along with his footsteps. He roughly grabbed the skinny boy’s arms and looked up at him. He had grown almost as tall and lanky as Jesper. “This better be good,” he muttered as he followed the boy down the creaking stairs and out into the streets of Ketterdam. He nearly cursed when the chilly wind hit him again, wishing he had grabbed his coat or hat in the rush. Wylan led him down the street a couple blocks to the more questionable side of town and into an alleyway tucked between a cheap brothel and a smoking bar. He could see the boy’s shoulders tense the further in they went. Part of him wondered why the hell Wylan was even near this part of town. He got his answer when his eye caught the glimmer of Jesper’s revolver. His eyes then trailed down toward the body Jesper was standing over. 

His immediate thought was that they had pulled him out of his meeting in hopes he would clear up whatever trouble Jesper had gotten himself into, but he quickly ruled that out. Jesper wouldn’t have sent Wylan to fetch him, and the gunslinger looked too cool and collected to be asking Kaz for help. “Who is this?” he asked, pointing his cane towards the body.

“Trouble,” replied Jesper, and he moved the body over to reveal a pale skinned Shu.

“I am hoping there was a reason you killed him.”

“Is the fact that he was scouting The Crow Club enough? Or how about this?” he asked, pulling a vial out of his pocket. Poison. So this wasn’t some misunderstanding or gambling game gone wrong. “He caught me trailing him. I didn’t even get to say a word before he came at me,” Jesper said cooly.

“How did they find out Nikolai and Zoya were here? The only ones who knew were the highest members of the Merchant Council and you two.”

“It seems we have a rat,” Wylan said, his green eyes moving from the body to Kaz. 

Kaz tried to rack his brain of who could possibly have double crossed him. He thought he had become at least somewhat respected by the merchants, but it seemed they still thought he was expendable. He would not make the same mistake twice. 

“You two go back to the club. Tell Nina and Matthias what is going on, and whatever you do, do not let anyone near the king. I need him alive for this damn trade deal,” he muttered.

“What are you doing to do?” asked Wylan.

“I’m going to catch our rat.”

___

Kaz pulled himself onto the roof of Jan Van Eck’s house, sadly having to forego his cane this time. He should have guessed out of all the foolish old men on the Merchant’s Council that Van Eck would have been the one to invite Shu assassins into their country. Hell, he was probably going to try and blame it all on him again. He creeped along the side of the roof, slowly lowering himself as he approached the balcony to Van Eck’s room. He carefully landed, though he could feel the ache in his bad leg. The cold didn’t help it much He kneeled down and pulled out his lockpicking set, making quick work of the ornate door handle. It opened with a satisfying  _ click _ , as the metallic scent of blood flooded his nostrils. 

Once he got past the bed, he saw where the scent was coming from. Van Eck was on the ground, a single, clean slit to his throat. Perhaps the Shu assassin was sent to him before Nikolai. He wanted to believe that, but the longer he stayed in the room, the more he was sure that something was up. Was it paranoia, or was someone watching him? He cautiously turned to leave, but he stopped when he heard the gentlest feet landing on the wood flooring. They were almost as quiet as Inej. Almost. 

He pulled a revolver from his waistband, pointing it at the Shu assassin. Of course they sent more than one of them. The assassin was tall and lean, twin daggers twisting in her hand effortlessly. 

“You know what they say about bringing a knife to a gunfight,” Kaz toyed with a cocky grin, though he knew he couldn’t let his guard down. Within an instant, the assassin lunged at him, Kaz narrowly dodging her attacks. He could see the glimmer of her blades, how the slivers of moonlight that came into the room made them sparkle and dance. He knew she had the upper hand. He couldn’t fire his gun even if he wanted to. He would wake the whole city and then Van Eck could frame him beyond the grave. Moving out of the way, he tried to grab a knife out of his boot, though with his hurt leg and no cane he wasn’t as quick and nimble as he would have liked to be. Her blade caught the outside of his thigh, and his hand instinctively went over the wound. He could feel his blood on his leather gloves. He managed to stop the next strike, his knife clashing with hers. He could keep up with her for now, but how much longer would that last? As he moved to doge her next strike, he felt a jarring pain in his head, his vision spinning. What the hell was going on? Then he remembered the vial of poison they found on the dead assassin. It made for a quicker and more efficient death.

“Damnit, not here,” he breathed. He didn’t want to die in Van Eck’s house. He didn’t really know how he wanted to die, but he was for damn sure it wasn’t here. Rolling out of the way and biting back a cry of pain as he stood back up, Kaz shakily pointed his knife at the assassin. 

The scent of the sea salt hit him first. His eyes took note of the shadowed figure behind the Shu assassin, but he couldn’t be sure if that was just the poison playing him.

He thought he could have heard her pray, the same soft prayer she breathed with each kill before she plunged her dagger between the assassin’s ribs and to their heart. A quick and relatively painless death. Inej wiped the blood onto her pant leg and stuck the knife black into her boot, making her way to Kaz’s side. “Don’t fall on me just yet, Brekker,” he heard her breathe, and his eyes met hers. Her hand went to the wound at his thigh, and it was the greatest sense of comfort he had felt since she left. 

“What are you doing here? What happened to looking for your parents?” he asked, his head spinning. 

“I was looking for them, and things were starting to look up, but I was in Ravka and I saw those two assassins. I knew something wasn’t right, and I remembered your letter about meeting Nikolai. I decided to trail them. I followed their ship all the way to Ketterdam, and it turns out I was right. I knew I was either going to catch myself some assassins or slavers,” she said before struggling to pull him up. “Saints, don’t fall asleep, Kaz. I won’t be able to drag you back to the Crow Club,” she said, giving his cheek a hard slap.

Kaz couldn’t remember if he had passed out on her or not.

___

When he awoke, Kaz was in his bed. The room was empty save for the candles that illuminated the otherwise dark place. He had some chills, but other than that he didn’t feel as though he was dying. His dark eyes darted to the door as he heard it creak open. Inej entered, holding the little Helvar girl in one hand and a glass of water in the other. She set the glass on his bedside table and pulled a chair closer, holding the sleeping child to her chest. “She’s precious, isn’t she?” she asked

“Nina was so excited for you to see her,” he said as he reached for the glass. “I suppose with Shu Han sending assassins and killing Van Eck I will be able to grant the king his trade deal. And we got rid of Van Eck. What a tidy ending,” he joked.

Inej was quiet for a long moment, and Kaz couldn’t tell if she was letting him rest or if she really had nothing to say to him. Inej had said she would come back to Ketterdam, and here she was, but she came here by chance. Would she really stay? He opened his mouth to speak, but the wraith spoke first. “I want to stay with the Dregs.”

He hadn’t expected that. She had said she would come back, but for so long he hadn’t been able to give her what she needed emotionally. He was closed off and cold, and perhaps she was using her trip to see if she really did need him in her life. “So...you’ll stay. You’ll stay my wraith?” he asked, almost hesitantly.

“Kaz,” she started, though her voice was soft and gentle as not to wake the sleeping babe, or perhaps she was near tears, “I want to stay with you.”

He wasn’t sure why he said what he did. Maybe it was because he had been holding it in for so long. Maybe the uncertainty of ever seeing her again got to him. Maybe it was the realization that she truly did care for him that made him say, “I love you.”

Inej gently leaned down, her lips meeting his, and Kaz’s bare hands cupped her cheek. It was at that moment that Kaz wondered how beautiful Inej would be with a little one all their own.

  
  



End file.
